The late Daveigh Chase’s father, John Schwallier, is remembering his daughter on what would have been her 36th birthday.
“Every day I am thinking about her constantly,” Schwallier told the Daily Mail on Friday, July 24. “I just want to wish her a happy birthday today and [tell her] that she is on my mind every day. … She was taken from this life way too early.”
He previously spoke with the outlet about his shock upon learning of her death, revealing Daveigh had become so emaciated that he no longer recognized her.
“I was beside myself at first when I finally saw her,” he admitted at the time.
Chase’s boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, announced in June that the Lilo & Stitch and The Ring child star had died following a brief hospital stay. Days earlier, Hernandez launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover Chase’s medical bills.
“Daveigh Chase, my girlfriend, has always been a light in my life,” a statement on the fundraiser webpage read. “Many people know her as a talented childhood actor from Lilo & Stitch, Spirited Away and Donnie Darko. But behind the scenes, she’s faced more than her share of hardship. After a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family, Daveigh was bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown L.A.”
He continued, “When we met, I promised to protect her and give her the love and comfort she deserved. Together, we found moments of happiness and hope. Recently, everything changed. … Her condition has become critical, and the doctors have told me she may not have much time left. All she ever wanted was a place where we could live together, feel safe and be happy. Now, more than ever, I want to give her that sense of home and peace in her final days.”
Chase’s former manager has since questioned the validity of the GoFundMe campaign, while her family has been candid about grieving her loss.
In addition to Hernandez, Daveigh is survived by father Schwallier and mother Cathy Chase.
“I was devastated. It felt like something inside of me squeezing all of the air out of me, and at the same time, It felt like I was exploding outwardly,” Cathy, who last saw her daughter in 2019, told the Daily Mail last month. “I let out this guttural scream and I just was running, and these weird sounds were coming out of me, like, primeval sounds. I went out into the backyard, and I was screaming, “No, no, no, no!” I am in so much pain, but I hope her soul heard me.”
Us exclusively confirmed later in June that Daveigh died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) with other significant conditions including chronic polysubstance use, per medical examiner records. The manner of death was listed as natural.
